USGS marine engineering technician Dan Powers from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center retrieves the GOMEX box corer from Bellingham Bay, Washington.
PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities
Active
By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
June 10, 2022
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Vessels
Vessels
Learn about the different types of vessels we use in and around rivers, bays, coastal areas, and the deep ocean.
Our Team
Our Team
Meet our team of field specialists at MarFac, who run the gamut from coastal and marine field equipment designers to engineers, boat operators, and mechanics.
MarFac
MarFac
Our Marine Facility, or MarFac, is the operational arm of PCMSC. We provide engineering, mechanical, and electronics expertise for field operations.
Geophysical Equipment
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System
Chirps
Sound Sources
- Sparker
- Boomer Plates: Geopulse and Applied Acoustics
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Streamers
- Geometrics GeoEel Multi-Channel Streamer
- Applied Acoustics Single Channel
- SIG16 Analog
- Streamer Depth Control Birds
Magnetometer
Bathymetry
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Multibeam
Swath
- SWATHplus 234kHz
- Odom
- SyQwest HydroBox
Intertial Measurement Units (IMU)
Sediment Sampling
- GOMEX box corer
- Jumbo piston corer
- Rossfelder vibracorer
- Smith-McIntyre grab sampler
- Uwitec piston-coring rig
- VibeCore DW
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Imaging/Photography
SCUBA Diving
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Learn more about MarFac, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility.
PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
MarFac Dive Team
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, maintains a certified scientific dive team.
PCMSC MarFac Team
Below is the list of our fieldwork specialists at PCMSC's Marine Facility, or MarFac.
PCMSC MarFac Vessels
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
The Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX)
In late August 2018, scientists and technical staff from the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program completed the acquisition of over 2000 km of multichannel seismic (MCS) data as part of the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) conducted aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp . The seismic program was led by the USGS Gas Hydrates Project and was sponsored by the USGS, the U.S...
Below are photos of MarFac field equipment.
GOMEX box corer
USGS marine engineering technician Dan Powers from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center retrieves the GOMEX box corer from Bellingham Bay, Washington.
Preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay
Scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in their vessel jewell, docked at Belden's Landing Water Access Facility on Montezuma Slough. They are preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay, where they study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments.
Scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in their vessel jewell, docked at Belden's Landing Water Access Facility on Montezuma Slough. They are preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay, where they study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments.
USGS researcher uses GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations
USGS oceanographer Dan Hoover uses a GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations near the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, January 12, 2017. Surveys like this make long-term studies of coastal change possible.
USGS oceanographer Dan Hoover uses a GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations near the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, January 12, 2017. Surveys like this make long-term studies of coastal change possible.
Drilling into permafrost on Alaska's Arctic coast
On remote Barter Island, Alaska, Bruce Richmond (right) and Cordell Johnson drill into 500-foot-thick permafrost using a handheld drill with a 2-inch drill bit—a challenging task! It can take 3 hours to drill nearly 20 feet down.
On remote Barter Island, Alaska, Bruce Richmond (right) and Cordell Johnson drill into 500-foot-thick permafrost using a handheld drill with a 2-inch drill bit—a challenging task! It can take 3 hours to drill nearly 20 feet down.
Chirp sub-bottom profiler deployment
USGS scientist Jackson Currie deploys a chirp sub-bottom profiler (in the center) from research vessel Parke Snavely. The chirp is attached to pontoons to keep the equipment from running aground in the shallow waters of San Pablo Bay, California.
USGS scientist Jackson Currie deploys a chirp sub-bottom profiler (in the center) from research vessel Parke Snavely. The chirp is attached to pontoons to keep the equipment from running aground in the shallow waters of San Pablo Bay, California.
PCMSC Magnetometer
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center field crew showing off the new magnetometer, named Magnetron, on fantail of Research Vessel (R/V) Parke Snavely.
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center field crew showing off the new magnetometer, named Magnetron, on fantail of Research Vessel (R/V) Parke Snavely.
ATV with GPS
Jeff Hansen on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, in 2006. The ATV is equipped with instrumentation which records beach topography.
Jeff Hansen on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, in 2006. The ATV is equipped with instrumentation which records beach topography.
Personal watercraft equipped with GPS and sonar
Personal watercraft equipped with GPS and sonar (echo sounder) is used to collect detailed, nearshore bathymetry (depth) information.
Personal watercraft equipped with GPS and sonar (echo sounder) is used to collect detailed, nearshore bathymetry (depth) information.
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Vessels
Vessels
Learn about the different types of vessels we use in and around rivers, bays, coastal areas, and the deep ocean.
Our Team
Our Team
Meet our team of field specialists at MarFac, who run the gamut from coastal and marine field equipment designers to engineers, boat operators, and mechanics.
MarFac
MarFac
Our Marine Facility, or MarFac, is the operational arm of PCMSC. We provide engineering, mechanical, and electronics expertise for field operations.
Geophysical Equipment
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System
Chirps
Sound Sources
- Sparker
- Boomer Plates: Geopulse and Applied Acoustics
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Streamers
- Geometrics GeoEel Multi-Channel Streamer
- Applied Acoustics Single Channel
- SIG16 Analog
- Streamer Depth Control Birds
Magnetometer
Bathymetry
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Multibeam
Swath
- SWATHplus 234kHz
- Odom
- SyQwest HydroBox
Intertial Measurement Units (IMU)
Sediment Sampling
- GOMEX box corer
- Jumbo piston corer
- Rossfelder vibracorer
- Smith-McIntyre grab sampler
- Uwitec piston-coring rig
- VibeCore DW
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Imaging/Photography
SCUBA Diving
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Learn more about MarFac, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility.
PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
MarFac Dive Team
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, maintains a certified scientific dive team.
PCMSC MarFac Team
Below is the list of our fieldwork specialists at PCMSC's Marine Facility, or MarFac.
PCMSC MarFac Vessels
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
The Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX)
In late August 2018, scientists and technical staff from the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program completed the acquisition of over 2000 km of multichannel seismic (MCS) data as part of the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) conducted aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp . The seismic program was led by the USGS Gas Hydrates Project and was sponsored by the USGS, the U.S...
Below are photos of MarFac field equipment.
GOMEX box corer
USGS marine engineering technician Dan Powers from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center retrieves the GOMEX box corer from Bellingham Bay, Washington.
USGS marine engineering technician Dan Powers from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center retrieves the GOMEX box corer from Bellingham Bay, Washington.
Preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay
Scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in their vessel jewell, docked at Belden's Landing Water Access Facility on Montezuma Slough. They are preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay, where they study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments.
Scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in their vessel jewell, docked at Belden's Landing Water Access Facility on Montezuma Slough. They are preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay, where they study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments.
USGS researcher uses GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations
USGS oceanographer Dan Hoover uses a GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations near the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, January 12, 2017. Surveys like this make long-term studies of coastal change possible.
USGS oceanographer Dan Hoover uses a GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations near the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, January 12, 2017. Surveys like this make long-term studies of coastal change possible.
Drilling into permafrost on Alaska's Arctic coast
On remote Barter Island, Alaska, Bruce Richmond (right) and Cordell Johnson drill into 500-foot-thick permafrost using a handheld drill with a 2-inch drill bit—a challenging task! It can take 3 hours to drill nearly 20 feet down.
On remote Barter Island, Alaska, Bruce Richmond (right) and Cordell Johnson drill into 500-foot-thick permafrost using a handheld drill with a 2-inch drill bit—a challenging task! It can take 3 hours to drill nearly 20 feet down.
Chirp sub-bottom profiler deployment
USGS scientist Jackson Currie deploys a chirp sub-bottom profiler (in the center) from research vessel Parke Snavely. The chirp is attached to pontoons to keep the equipment from running aground in the shallow waters of San Pablo Bay, California.
USGS scientist Jackson Currie deploys a chirp sub-bottom profiler (in the center) from research vessel Parke Snavely. The chirp is attached to pontoons to keep the equipment from running aground in the shallow waters of San Pablo Bay, California.
PCMSC Magnetometer
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center field crew showing off the new magnetometer, named Magnetron, on fantail of Research Vessel (R/V) Parke Snavely.
USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center field crew showing off the new magnetometer, named Magnetron, on fantail of Research Vessel (R/V) Parke Snavely.
ATV with GPS
Jeff Hansen on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, in 2006. The ATV is equipped with instrumentation which records beach topography.
Jeff Hansen on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, in 2006. The ATV is equipped with instrumentation which records beach topography.
Personal watercraft equipped with GPS and sonar
Personal watercraft equipped with GPS and sonar (echo sounder) is used to collect detailed, nearshore bathymetry (depth) information.
Personal watercraft equipped with GPS and sonar (echo sounder) is used to collect detailed, nearshore bathymetry (depth) information.